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The UK Is Currently Testing Roads That Charge Electric Cars While You Drive

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The biggest drawback to electric cars is finding a place to stop and recharge if you plan on going very far. Then again, oil-powered vehicles force you to pull over and pay big bucks at the pump every 400 miles or so. Now, just imagine a world where you never have to look at how much gas or battery juice you have left because your car is charging as it goes.

It might sound like a fantasy world but roads that charge your car as you drive are a real-life plan in the UK. Highways England is in the midst of adding freeways that actively charge electric vehicles.

So how does it work? Electric cables that produce electromagnetic fields are constructed beneath the roads. When electric cars drive over these roads a specially placed coil located inside of the vehicle will catch and transform this energy into electric fuel.

Trials are set to run over the next 18 months and then a final decision regarding the charging roads will be made.

Mike Wilson, the chief highways engineer at Highways England said, “Vehicle technologies are advancing at an ever increasing pace and we’re committed to supporting the growth of ultra-low emissions vehicles on England’s motorways and major A roads. The off-road trials of wireless power technology will help to create a more sustainable road network for England and open up new opportunities for businesses that transport goods across the country.”

The technology isn’t as new as many might think. In Gumi, a town in South Korea, there is a 7.5-mile road that charges special busses using similar technology. This road was built in 2013 and has since been a success.

Over the next five years the government has committed to spend over $784 million dollars (£500 million) to keep the UK at the forefront of this Earth-friendly technology.

Way to go England! Now we can only hope more industrialized countries start to implement the same technologies to help reduce fuel consumption and save planet Earth.